DC Studios’ First “Pure Horror Movie For Somebody Who Doesn’t Care At All About DC,” ‘Clayface’, Circles ‘Speak No Evil’ Helmer James Watkins To Direct
It wasn’t even on the original docket, but DC Studios aims to break the mold with Clayface, a horror film which is rapidly taking shape as if it was Matt Hagen himself after a jolt of electricity.
Studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran disclosed in an exclusive event held for press that they were blown away by Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass, Doctor Sleep) and his script so much that the project became a priority.
“We had no plans making a Clayface movie,” Gunn said via THR. Flanagan pitched them the idea first, but they decided to wait and see until he brought in the screenplay. “He turned in a script and it’s one of the best scripts that we’ve read.”
RELATED: New Details Make DC Studios’ ‘Clayface’ Movie Sound Like A Rip-Off Of ‘The Substance’
The story’s log line – a B-movie actor becomes walking clay after injecting himself with some chemical in a bid to stay relevant – is drawing obvious comparisons to the Oscar-nominated Demi Moore-Coralie Fargeat collaboration The Substance. It might even be too similar at the end of the day, but an unfazed DC brass sees only a substantial opportunity to broaden horizons.
“We don’t serve one kind of audience, so why make one kind of movie?” Safran explained. “Working in a multitude of genres, it affords us the opportunity to allocate resources where they can make the biggest impact. We budget according to the demands of the story, and the revenue expectations of each title.”
Gunn promises “pure” body horror and thinks Clayface could be an entry point into Gotham and DC for fans uninterested in either. According to Variety, he stated the hope is that the film “works as a pure horror movie for somebody who doesn’t care at all about DC.”
Reaching across whatever boundaries, real or imagined, is a logical business strategy although it risks further alienating your target audience – the fanbase for comic book movies. Realistically, we’re beyond the point where that is a relevant concern to Hollywood, but it’s worth noting.
Speak No Evil director James Watkins involvement, while he is still technically in negotiations, has been confirmed, so he is the favorite to step behind the camera with his guiding hand.
Meanwhile, the film doesn’t have a star yet, but a new rumor suggests Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, is at the top of the list to play the aforementioned B-movie actor. Most sources think the main character will be the first Clayface, Basil Karlo, standing in with feet of clay for the more familiar Matt Hagen version.
As this is just a rumor, it may not be accurate, and James Gunn is already shooting it down. “As we confirmed the other day, we’re closing a deal with James to direct. Because we don’t have a director yet, we haven’t even started the casting process. Daniel is great but we certainly haven’t talked to or considered him. So this one is 100% false,” Gunn wrote on Threads.
Alan Tudyk supplied the voice for the character on Harley Quinn and Creature Commandos, but odds aren’t looking good for his performance making the transition to live-action the way Frank Grillo is as Rick Flag, Sr.
While reportedly set in Los Angeles, Clayface probably won’t film there, and not because of the ongoing crisis the city is in. To stay conscious of the small budget and accompanying limitations, they are scouting locations in New Jersey, Canada, and other places.
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